Let's say that certain phases of my life were already written in a book 70 - 100 years ago by someone, who was either a futurist of a scifi-writer. Let's also say that there are people, who want to make sure - for some yet unknown reason - that I live through those phases and that my personality gets developed similarly to some character's personality in that book. The book would have been written a long time before I was born. Now, what kind of search engines and what kind of search strategies I should use to become sure that there actually is such a book? There might exists traces of revitalizing of the book, if the original writer didn't make good enough guesses about the future.
posted by spctrm
on Feb 5, 2013 -
13 answers
My fiance is half-Norwegian, and all the family he's in contact with are pretty Norwegian. We're having a wedding and trying to honor each other's heritages. I need touches and customs that can be added to said wedding. Problem: while googling on the internet for Viking stuff and/or meaningful runes, I'm finding a ton of racist stuff. My fiance has done antifa work and I just plain hate Nazis. How can I find cool customs that have not been appropriated by horrible people, and how can I buy jewelry (particularly ring-type) that isn't going to racist pockets?
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posted by corb
on Feb 4, 2013 -
24 answers
I've been listening to 'Escape from Camp 14' on audiobook for the past few days, and I was struck by a brief overview of & reference to the story of Charles Robert Jenkins, an American defector to North Korea. I found the concept as mystifying as it was intriguing, so I would like to know if any of you have heard of any non-fiction books about other defection stories that involve citizens of democratic nations obtaining residency in nations that would be deemed objectively totalitarian and renouncing their countries of origin. I'm on the lookout for his book, 'The Reluctant Communist,' but I'd like to hear about other stories of this type as well.
posted by Selena777
on Feb 3, 2013 -
13 answers
Let's say someone (anyone) made a fortune in the early 18th century - would it be possible to track their fortune over time to see where it is in the present day? I can imagine this being relatively simple if the money just stayed in the family, but what if you wanted to track the fortunes made during something like the Gold Rush?
posted by domakesaypat
on Jan 26, 2013 -
8 answers
Where can I find some educated speculation about how the Roman Empire might have avoided its decline, and how it might have developed (and affected world history) had the empire not fallen? Would prefer works by historical scholars, but alternative history works would be OK if thoroughly researched and detailed.
posted by El Sabor Asiatico
on Jan 25, 2013 -
19 answers
I only really have time to read a single book on the origins of photography. What do you recommend? Think Daguerre and Talbot, no need for hundreds of pages devoted to the camera obscura. I'd also prefer something heavier on text than actual photographs.
posted by Lorin
on Jan 25, 2013 -
5 answers
Can you recommend web-based tools for visualizing human history/civilizations in the context of larger geological timescales and weather changes?
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posted by par court
on Jan 18, 2013 -
2 answers
Hi.
I was wondering if anyone here could help to recommend resources for a complete beginner to better understand the history of Christianity, etc so I may have a deeper, more contextualised understanding of british history and politics. Some stuff I'd like to know better are:
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posted by ethelwulf
on Jan 17, 2013 -
8 answers
I'm finishing up The Guns of August, by Barbara Tuchman, and while it's a really good read, it does what it says, and covers the beginning of the war. I'm interested in other books on WW1. What do you recommend? I'd like to read both a good, solid overview of the whole war, then maybe later read more in-depth books on certain parts or phases of the war.
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posted by Ghidorah
on Jan 12, 2013 -
23 answers
Was there ever a period in time before widespread acceptance of germ theory, or, is there a current culture where raw or undercooked chicken is an accepted part of cuisine?
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posted by codacorolla
on Jan 10, 2013 -
19 answers
Are there any real-life historical examples of the Small Town With A Terrible Secret horror trope? Towns where long-term, ongoing crimes (or unsavory religious practices one supposes) where purposefully covered up and kept hidden from the outside world and any attempt to investigate them resulted in the investigator being detained, thrown out, or killed?
posted by The Whelk
on Jan 4, 2013 -
35 answers
For current and previous peace corps volunteers,
Have you lied on your peace corps medical clearance? What did you lie about and how did it end up working out?
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posted by Globallife12
on Dec 31, 2012 -
8 answers
Are there any good historical/scholarly studies of
false flag operations? Not so much chroinicles of a specific single event, but more about how common they've actually been throughout history, how effective they tend to be, how they are eventually disclosed (whether on purpose or not), etc. They seem to be the core of a lot of conspiracy theories ("9/11 was an inside job", "Oswald was a tool of the CIA", and so on), and I'm curious about how prevalent the real thing is.
posted by Lentrohamsanin
on Dec 20, 2012 -
2 answers
Why does Mircea Eliade get short shrift in Robert N. Bellah's
Religion in Human Evolution?
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posted by ibmcginty
on Dec 18, 2012 -
3 answers
What facts about history did people once believe, only to have them later discredited? I'm looking for cases where historians changed their opinion about concrete facts ("It turns out George Washington never chopped down a cherry tree") or about cause and effect ("Maybe the French Revolution wasn't just caused by the rise of the Middle Class.") I'm NOT looking for cases where historians re-evaluated their ethical judgments ("Maybe it wasn't so cool that the Founding Fathers owned slaves.")
posted by yankeefog
on Dec 17, 2012 -
51 answers
Does such thing as an early web emulator exist? My 12 year-old stepson is learning HTML and CSS, and today I was trying to describe the web of yesteryear (for me, c. 1995-96). I'd love to show some visual aids. I have googled to no avail.
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posted by allisonrae
on Dec 13, 2012 -
17 answers
My boss (I work in Tokyo for an independent think tank) has asked me to track down a particular quote for him by Charles de Gaulle, the leader of the Free French Forces and first president of the French Fifth Republic. Specifically, he is looking for a quote in which de Gaulle says something about the alliance not sharing a common destiny... I've been looking like crazy but have yet to find anything along these lines? Any ideas??
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posted by amirachel
on Dec 11, 2012 -
4 answers
I'm looking for your favorite books on early modern European history (~1550-1750 ish) to inform my reading of the Baroque cycle by Neal Stephenson. I usually rely on Amazon ratings to pick good books, but they are coming up short. History buffs of AskMeFi, please help!
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posted by permiechickie
on Dec 11, 2012 -
12 answers
Leading off
this comment, what are some good sources about magic in the Renaissance? The Roman Era? Ancient China? Egypt? Mesopotamia? Ancient India? Pre-Colombian civilizations? How did they differ from the "dark age" concept of magic?
posted by the man of twists and turns
on Dec 10, 2012 -
13 answers
Looking for good, critical books and resources on martial arts and fighting. I prefer them to be academic enough to have survived peer review, but will take what I can get. Anything martial arts related would do, I'm interested in understanding martial arts and fighting in a more general sense.
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posted by Stagger Lee
on Dec 8, 2012 -
10 answers
I get to go to South Africa to do field work next summer, hurray! I know very little about South African history and culture beyond what I get from the (US) media. I'd like to read a few books between now and then to try and get caught up.
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posted by TungstenChef
on Dec 5, 2012 -
7 answers
It's a visualization tool that analyses history of a code base to do some archaeology so you know who to talk to if you have questions about that section -- I swear I saw this somewhere recently, in the past week or so. I thought I bookmarked it because it was neat. I can't find it. What's the url? maybe it was some fancy git blame thing.
posted by bleary
on Dec 1, 2012 -
3 answers
I work downtown, and recently on my lunch, I happened upon a local history archive in the library branch near my work. I'd like suggestions for fun tasks that I can accomplish there on my short lunch break.
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posted by to recite so charmingly
on Nov 30, 2012 -
6 answers
animated 1970s tv series about U.S. History? this is NOT the schoolhouse rock episodes. the one i am remembering was more serious, working through historical situations with animated scenes. the episode i remember most vividly was about the British burning the white house. does anyone else remember this series and what the name of it was?? might have been made around the bicentennial, but not sure.
posted by cmp4Meta
on Nov 27, 2012 -
9 answers
Driving Around Dublin: SO and I will be visiting Ireland (Dublin and Cork) for about a week and half right after Christmas and we'll have a car. What are some fun, interesting day trips from the two cities (or stops along the way between them?)
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posted by The Whelk
on Nov 26, 2012 -
14 answers
I've been watching The Men Who Built America. Please recommend interesting books on the people covered in that series or other influential people from that time period. Thanks.
posted by rastapasta
on Nov 24, 2012 -
3 answers
Can you help me assess this piece of medical history? I would like to know if it is historically interesting.
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posted by Jehan
on Nov 21, 2012 -
6 answers
Looking for recommendations of books that illustrate typical American life in the 1840s--
not Wild West-type stuff. Ideally New England-area. Fiction or non-fiction, either way. Thanks!
posted by shakespeherian
on Nov 19, 2012 -
13 answers
WaybackDanceFilter: In a Fats Waller video
here (linked to specific time), a dancing man clasps his hands together and moves his leg almost as if it were lame..
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posted by Quarter Pincher
on Nov 18, 2012 -
7 answers
Does anyone know how to clear the search history for Twitter's iPhone app?
posted by JFunk2800
on Nov 14, 2012 -
1 answer
I would like to write a fictional novel based in actual events that occurred in the West in the 1700s. It would draw extensively from the true story ( which is likely already enhanced through the centuries ). The names would change, though the locations would be actual places.
Is there anything I should be aware of with regards to the "legality" of retelling such a story? Ie. the storyline is not my original creation. I'd be adapting it for my story, but it would have a lot of similarity.
The story is told, with minor variation, in a number of historical sources.
posted by ecorrocio
on Nov 9, 2012 -
10 answers
Help me brainstorm for a new project! What are some iconic conflicts in history (not necessarily military)?
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posted by Jezztek
on Nov 2, 2012 -
39 answers
Does anyone know of any good documentary films about Seattle history? I'm interested in its founding up to the 90s. Not looking for stuff about grunge. Would love it if there were something in a Ken Burns, but I don't expect miracles. Thanks!
posted by letstrythis
on Nov 2, 2012 -
9 answers
How and why did Europeans eat so many oysters during the dark and middle ages?
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posted by cmoj
on Nov 2, 2012 -
13 answers
Russian History: Why did the Soviet military retain the traditional (western) Officer/Enlisted class binary rather than instituting some other hierarchichal structure? How did they ideologically justify maintaining two distinct and separate classes, one subordinate to the other, in an army putatively fighting for a classless society?
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posted by jjjjjjjijjjjjjj
on Nov 2, 2012 -
11 answers
Is there a good book for an older kid about the history of China? Or, related questions, other great world history books for kids?
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posted by latkes
on Nov 2, 2012 -
3 answers
I'm looking for examples of good blogs or other websites devoted to family history and stories. What sites do you guys like?
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posted by christopherious
on Oct 27, 2012 -
3 answers
Sources discussing American musical history in relatively simple, chronological terms?
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posted by bearette
on Oct 25, 2012 -
7 answers
Where can I find summaries of historical developments, technological breakthroughs, political and social changes etc. in a similar style as the Afterword in Charles Stross's anthology Toast
(free download here)? I am interested in stuff that has happened in the last 30 or 40 years.
posted by fullerenedream
on Oct 22, 2012 -
0 answers
30 years ago, next week, my daughter was born. I need a soundtrack for an early life slideshow I have made.
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posted by unliteral
on Oct 21, 2012 -
5 answers
